Friday, April 24, 2015

If your summer travels take you to the Boston area be sure to visit the Great Lakes Seaway Trail War of 1812 Traveling Quilt Exhibit at the New England Quilt Museum in Lowell, MA. The 26 best-of-show quilts from the 2012 challenge will be on display until late July. www.nequiltmuseum.orgThe
exhibit of 26 quilts newly-made, but true to 1812-period quilting patterns,
fabrics and colors and Great Lakes Seaway Trail “storyteller” interpretive
panels on “America’s second war for independence” is traveling to quilt shows,
museums and historic venues across Canada and the U.S. through 2015.

1812 style quilt by Diane MacLeod Shink, Montreal

The Great
Lakes Seaway Trail is a National Scenic Byway that follows the St. Lawrence
River, Lake Ontario, Niagara River and Lake Erie in New York and Pennsylvania.
Much of the War of 1812 was fought along this strategic freshwater shoreline.

The
traveling exhibit includes 20 American-made “cot-to-coffin” quilts from 11
states and six Canadian-made quilts from three provinces. The 30-inch-wide by
70-inch-long sizing represents the average height of a man during the war.

"The Great
Lakes Seaway Trail Quilt Show War of 1812 theme inspired quilters on both sides
of the international border to learn more about that period in history and the
struggle for North America, to interpret the War’s Bicentennial in many
interesting and personal ways, and to share their own family ties to that time.
We are pleased to share these unique quilts with visitors to the New England Quilt Museum,” Great Lakes Seaway Trail Project Manager Lynette
Lundy-Beck said.

Story cards with each quilt share the factual history represented by the quilt
or the imagined tale of a family sending a loved one off to the war.

Sunday, July 13, 2014

If
you missed the Great Lakes Seaway Trail War of 1812 Quilt Challenge
Traveling Exhibit you will have a chance to see it this summer in
Oswego, NY. The 26 best-of-show quilts from the 2012 challenge will be
displayed at Fort Ontario thru September.

This International Traveling Exhibit of Cot-To-Coffin quilts combines
history and fabric in an inspired storytelling fashion of the times.
Story cards for each quilt share the factual history represented by the
quilt or a tale of a family sending a loved one off to war. Plan to
visit the Fort this summer, fun for the whole family.

Monday, March 31, 2014

The Great Lakes Seaway Trail is sponsoring a
presentation of 60 of the Hoffman Fabric Challenge Quilts on the first
two weekends of April in Clayton.

The exhibit will be on display Saturday and Sunday from
11am-3pm at the Thousand Islands Art Center, 314 John St, Clayton the
weekends of April 5-6 and April 12-13.

The collection features quilted works of all styles and sizes in elegant peacock, aqua and gold colors and patterns. The works of art from quilters all across the United
States and Canada includes award winners. Admission $5.00

Thursday, March 27, 2014

Textile conservator Deborah Trupin is among the 12 speakers sharing their research on the War of
1812 April 4, 5 and 6 at the Lake Ontario
Event and Conference Center, 26 E. First St., Oswego, one of the major
maritime history destinations on the Great Lakes Seaway Trail National
Scenic Byway. The Oswego War of 1812 Symposium runs from 9 a.m. to 5
p.m. on Saturday, April 5 and from 9 a.m. to noon on Sunday, April 6.

What a unique idea for a Father's Day quilt - this quilt was created by Bette Haddon, an award-winning quilt artist
who lives in beautiful DeFuniak Springs, Florida. She used whole ties
along with tie tips, labels, and buttons, to create a highly textured
surface (with over 200 buttons and labels).

Monday, December 23, 2013

The pilgrims, English separatists that came to America in
1620, were extremely orthodox in their Puritan beliefs. As a result, Christmas
was not a holiday in early America. After the American Revolution, all English customs fell out
of favor, including Christmas. In fact, Congress was in session on December 25,
1789, the first Christmas under America’s new constitution.

It wasn’t until the 19th century that Americans
began to embrace Christmas. Americans re-invented Christmas, and changed it
from the raucous carnival holiday into a family-centered day of peace and
nostalgia. But what happened in the 1800s that piqued American interest in the holiday?

In 1819, best-selling author Washington Irving wrote "The
Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon" a series of stories about the celebration
of Christmas in English. In
Irving’s mind, Christmas should be a peaceful, warm-hearted holiday bringing
groups together across lines of wealth or social status.

Irving’s book, however, was not
based on any holiday celebration that he had ever attended! In fact, many historians say
that Irving’s account actually “invented” our Christmas traditions by implying that it
described the true customs of the season. Regardless of the truth in his stories - the Sketch Book and it's stories of Christmas traditions cemented Irving’s reputation, and propelled him to a level of celebrity previously unseen for an American writer.